I wasn't able to bring up the photo of 1142, but I remember hearing that the roll sign was from a bus because they didn't have any spare PCC sign units. I've seen photos of the car with the front end really smashed in and am not sure if the operator survived. Was it 1139 that also had a substitute sign? For us Pacific Electric Northern District fans, 1142 is one number away from 1143, the Red Car that fell into Eaton Wash (between San Marino and Arcadia, near Pasadena) in 1943. The car was pulled out and rebuilt, after all, there was a war on.
One of my memories of this spot was from nighttime during this same period. I was hanging around the Powell St. turntable and got into conversation with a young man who turned out to be a musician. He told me about his band, Big Brother and the Holding Company. He mentioned that a new singer named Janis Joplin had just joined the crew. I commented that I had heard of her "down in LA" (I have always resided in Southern California), but I didn't pursue the matter. I often wonder what would have happened had I asked where they were playing and gone to see them in action. As it turned out, I've had to settle for videos and records of Ms. Joplin; she fulfilled the second part of "live fast, die young" only a few years later.